Lady T (Teena Marie album)
Encyclopedia
Reception
Released in 1980. The album was produced by Richard Rudolph, and the track "Too Many Colors" features the then 7 year-old Maya RudolphMaya Rudolph
Maya Khabira Rudolph is an American actress, comedienne and singer known for her comedic roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2000 to 2007, and for appearing in films such as Away We Go, Bridesmaids, Grown Ups, A Prairie Home Companion and MacGruber...
, daughter of Rudolph and his late wife Minnie Riperton
Minnie Riperton
Minnie Julia Riperton was an American singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single "Lovin' You". She was married to songwriter and music producer Richard Rudolph from 1972 until her death in the summer of 1979. They had two children - music engineer Marc Rudolph and actress/comedienne Maya...
. The album was dedicated to Minnie Riperton. Lady T was the nickname of Marie at Motown Records. The packaging of Marie's debut album Wild and Peaceful
Wild and Peaceful (Teena Marie album)
Wild and Peaceful is the debut album by Teena Marie, released in 1979 on Motown, and featuring significant contributions from Rick James. He provided co-vocals on "I'm a Sucker For Your Love". The packaging of the album is renowned for not including an image of Marie...
had not included a picture of the singer, and the image on the sleeve of this album surprised many people who had assumed Marie was African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
.
Lady T peaked at #18 on the Black Albums chart and #45 on the Pop Albums chart. Lead single "Behind the Groove" peaked at #21 on the US Black Singles chart and became Marie's only top 20 hit in the United Kingdom, reaching #6 in that country.
Track listing
- "Behind The Groove" (Marie, Richard RudolphRichard RudolphRichard "Dick" Rudolph is an American composer, guitarist, musician, songwriter, and producer. He was the husband of late soul singer icon Minnie Riperton, and he co-wrote many of her songs including her hits "Lovin' You" and "Memory Lane" . He produced Teena Marie's second album, Lady T...
) 6:07 - "Now That I Have You" (Art Philips, Richard Rudolph, Claudia Talbot) 5:32
- "Lonely Desire" (Marie, Richard Rudolph, Dwayne Wedlaw) 4:39
- "Aladdin's Lamp" (Marie) 4:55
- "You're All the Boogie I Need" (Mickey Hearn, Marie) 5:44
- "Can It Be Love" (Marie, Dwayne Wedlaw) 4:24
- "Young Girl in Love" (Jill JonesJill JonesJill Jones is an American singer and songwriter, who was a backing vocalist for Teena Marie and Prince in the 1980s.-Biography:...
, Marie) 3:55 - "Why Did I Have To Fall in Love With You" (Marie, George Sopuch) 4:45
- "Too Many Colors (Tee's Interlude)" (Marie) 3:10
- "Why Can't I Get Next to You" (Marie) 3:58
- "Co-Pilot to Pilot" (Marie) 4:23
Personnel
- Teena MarieTeena MarieMary Christine Brockert, better known by her stage name Teena Marie, was an American singer, songwriter and producer...
- Acoustic Guitar, Lead and Backing Vocals - Nathan WattsNathan WattsNathan Lamar Watts, born 1954 in Detroit, Michigan is an American session bass guitar player, best known for his work with Stevie Wonder from the 1970s to the present...
, Eddie Watkins, Charles Glenn, Jr. - Bass - Paulinho Da CostaPaulinho Da CostaPaulinho da Costa is a Brazilian percussionist born in Rio de Janeiro, considered one of the most recorded musicians of modern times. Playing over two hundred percussion instruments, he has participated in thousands of recording sessions, Grammy Award-winning albums, hit songs, soundtracks, radio...
- Percussion - Michael BoddickerMichael BoddickerMichael J. Boddicker , is an American film composer and session musician, specializing in electronic music. Three times N.A.R.A.S. Most Valuable Player "Synthesizer" and MVP Emeritus, he was awarded a Grammy as a songwriter for Imagination from Flashdance in 1984...
- Synthesizer - Jeremy Lubbock - Fender Rhodes
- Randy Waldman - Fender Rhodes, Piano, Synthesizer
- Greg Hargrove, Tim May, Bob Bowles, Art Phillips - Guitar
- Christopher Boehme, Paul Hines, Tony "T-Bird" Lewis - Drums
- Gary Grant - Flugelhorn, Trumpet
- Kim Hutchcroft - Flute, Saxophone
- Jerry HeyJerry HeyJerry Hey is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, horn arranger, string arranger, orchestrator and session musician who has played on hundreds of commercial recordings, including Thriller and the distinctive flugelhorn solo on Dan Fogelberg's hit Longer....
- Flugelhorn, Trumpet - Charles Loper - Trombone
- Steve Forman - Percussion
- Everett Bryson - Conga, Percussion
- James Stewart, Jr. - Piano
- Thomas Bumpass - Trumpet, Backing Vocals
- William Carroll White - Saxophone, Backing Vocals
- Larry Williams - Flute, Saxophone
- Ray Woodard - Saxophone, Backing Vocals
- Robert Zimmitti - Cowbell, Percussion
- Maya RudolphMaya RudolphMaya Khabira Rudolph is an American actress, comedienne and singer known for her comedic roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2000 to 2007, and for appearing in films such as Away We Go, Bridesmaids, Grown Ups, A Prairie Home Companion and MacGruber...
, Dwayne Medlaw - Voices - Diahne Abbott, Brenda Lee Eager, Linda Little, Jill JonesJill JonesJill Jones is an American singer and songwriter, who was a backing vocalist for Teena Marie and Prince in the 1980s.-Biography:...
, Bill Thedford - Backing Vocals
Charts
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Pop Albums Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
45 |
| Billboard Top Soul Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
18 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
US Dance |
||
| 1980 | "Behind The Groove" | 21 | 4 |
| "Can It Be Love" | 57 | - | |